NAIL ART: Back To Hogwarts Galaxy Nails

by - September 01, 2021


As I continue on with my Harry Potter Marathon - I'm nearly done at this point - I clearly had to do another Hogwarts themed mani to continue with the back to school theme. This one came together with a few stumbles - by which I mean this is actually my second attempt at this design, with a few important alterations, but I love the way it turned out in the end. The thing that I sometimes forget - and I fully blame my neurodivergence for this - is that designs and techniques don't have to be complicated to be impactful and beautiful. I need to remember that!

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For the base, I knew that I wanted to go with a very, very deep navy blue, so I grabbed for probably my favorite one in my entire collection - Heroine NYC's In The Deep. This formula is just stunning - it's creamy and applies like an absolute dream and, if you can believe it, I only applied one coat to all of my nails as the base for this mani and the opacity is just insane. When it comes to créme polishes, especially in these really rich shades, I've gotten spoiled by formulas like this one that are insanely pigmented, but also have gorgeous, smooth formulas.

Next, to build the really subtle galaxy effect that I was going for, I grabbed for a flakie top coat with a fairly strong blue shimmer running through it. I wasn't quite sure how it was going to turn out - and I was actually a little bit uncertain right up until the point where I matted it down at the end and it did exactly what I hoped it would do. To apply it, I ripped off a small piece of makeup sponge - I always save the ones I've already used for gradients for this sort of thing - and dabbed the polish on in a diagonal across the nail, trying not to be too precious about it. 


It was actually the size of the sorting hat, 9¾ sign, and golden snitch that inspired this mani overall. I knew that I wanted to use them, but they weren't going to fill up my nail length the way I like, so the idea to use these stars images and turn it into a galaxy was born. Because I wanted strong contrast, I went with white stamping polish for all of my stamping. I started by applying the larger images, placing each one on a different part of my nail than the others for some added visual interest, and then went in with the stars to fill up the rest of the space on the nail and pull everything together into a cohesive design.

Once I was happy with my stamping, I sealed it in with a water based top coat and then finished with a matte top coat to take down the shine. And voila!


All Products Used
Heroine NYC - In The Deep
Glam Polish - Anuenue
Maniology - Bam White!
Maniology Smudge Free Top Coat
KBShimmer Oh Matte! Top Coat
Maniology M152 Wizards Welcome Stamping Plate
Whats Up Nails Magnified Clear Stamper


I'm so, so happy with how these turned out - this year is definitely my favorite year of Hogwarts themed Back To School nails. Honestly, the whole Harry Potter series is hitting me a little different than it ever has before, probably owing to the fact that me and my family are still grieving the loss of my brother earlier this summer and the strong theme of loss throughout the series hits hard. Anyway, this has been a little bit extra cathartic for me this year, bringing the comfort and wonder that the Harry Potter series has always brought, along with something a little extra.

Thanks so much for reading!

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